I'm very excited to report that I'm letting the internet take over my life! And this is a good thing? Well, it really depends on whom you ask...
If you were to ask all of my new buddies on twitter, well, we're kinda all in the same boat. I think more than a few will say that it all started with Facebook. True enough for me. And what fun! Just today, I reconnected with a childhood friend I haven't seen in over 20 years! Amazing. And my sister has even begun fbing with elementary school friends and had a girls' night out because of it!
I started on fb as a spy.
My daughter "Bunny" wanted a fb account. Every parent out there has been sternly cautioned to keep an eye on their childrens' internet activities. Predators. Scam artists. Evil peers. So can you blame me? I got a fb page - much to Bunny's chagrin. It took about 3 weeks for her to "friend me". Humf. So much for the cool mom routine. I think I have more going on sometimes on fb than Bun and her friends!
And now, twitter. I've fallen in and I can't get out! I find myself "twittering", or "tweeting" a lot. Just in case my mom is reading this, I do have entire days that I'm too busy to tweet! (case in point, the 6th grade field trip on Wednesday). And ya know what? I hated house work BEFORE twitter and facebook. It's just really cool chit-chatting with people all over the world!
(Excitement building....)
So, this past week, one of my foodie "friends" on twitter brainstormed an idea for a foodie challenge. She selected the gorgeous Bread Baker's Apprentice, by Peter Reinhart, and challenged those of us who considered ourselves bakers and wannabe bakers, to start baking bread with her. The plan was to communicate and record our experiences via twitter, blogging and a brand-new Google group.
What fun! I love to bake, and to cook, in general. I have dropped off the bread baking lately and think now would be a fantastic time to get back to it.
Picked up my copy of BBA yesterday, purchased the polenta "flour" and I'm all set to start on our first endeavor - Anadama Bread. The polenta has to be soaked first, and tonight's the night! Everyone is posting all kinds of success stories and I'm chomping at the bit.
Wish me luck! Can't you just imagine the smell of homemade bread baking....
Friday, May 8, 2009
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Saturday, March 14, 2009
It's Not Time for Daylight Savings
Too dark in the morning, too cold to enjoy longer days. What were they thinking? I know I heard why the hours were changing (last year?), but, for the life of me, I can't remember why. Saving electicity? Well, I need to use more in the mornings now, so that seems unlikely.
I see tiny little bits of green on the tips of some of the branches in my yard - that's a GOOD thing! But I hope they don't freeze, bless their tiny little hearts.
I think I need a nap!
m:l
I see tiny little bits of green on the tips of some of the branches in my yard - that's a GOOD thing! But I hope they don't freeze, bless their tiny little hearts.
I think I need a nap!
m:l
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Wishing for Warm
Is it really too much to ask that I be left alone until spring? I mean really - the natural tendency for warm-blooded beasts is to fatten up and seek a warm place to hibernate until spring. A kind of suspended animation, if you will.
I, personally, have absolutely no use for winter once Christmas is over. Sure, the snow is pretty, but we don't get enough of it here in Maryland to really shake things up. Apparently, Maryland and the Polar Ice Cap have lots in common due to Global Warming. Too bad the North- and Mid-West haven't had any sign of this particular environmental disaster. No one's heard from them since late September(?) snows put them under 40 or 50 inches.
So, my point is, as the first week of February slowly crawls by, I now intend to exercise my right to hibernate. Oh, I'll continue to run children around, make meals (mostly) and keep the house clean (sorta), but beyond that, you'll find me in my woolies by the fire, coffee mug in hand, nose buried in a book. See you in April.
I, personally, have absolutely no use for winter once Christmas is over. Sure, the snow is pretty, but we don't get enough of it here in Maryland to really shake things up. Apparently, Maryland and the Polar Ice Cap have lots in common due to Global Warming. Too bad the North- and Mid-West haven't had any sign of this particular environmental disaster. No one's heard from them since late September(?) snows put them under 40 or 50 inches.
So, my point is, as the first week of February slowly crawls by, I now intend to exercise my right to hibernate. Oh, I'll continue to run children around, make meals (mostly) and keep the house clean (sorta), but beyond that, you'll find me in my woolies by the fire, coffee mug in hand, nose buried in a book. See you in April.
happiness? the color of it must be spring green
- frances mayes
Monday, January 26, 2009
WHAT IS A MOM WORTH? WORKING MOM vs. STAY AT HOME MOM SALARIES FOR 2006
New Online "Mom Salary Wizard" Lets Moms and Their Families Customize Mom's Job Description and Create a "Mom Paycheck" -->
Waltham, MA, May 3rd, 2006 -- Salary.com,Inc., the compensation experts, announced today the 2006 update to their valuation of a Stay at Home Mom's job and for the first time addressed the question of what a Working Mom's job is worth. Salary.com consulted with Stay at Home and Working Moms and determined the top 10 jobs that make up a mom's job description. If paid, Stay at Home Moms would earn $134,121 annually (up from 2005's salary of $131,471). Working Moms would earn $85,876 annually for the "mom job" portion of their work, in addition to their actual "work job" salary.
Salary.com found the job titles that best matched a mom's definition of her work to be (in order of hours spent per week): housekeeper, day care center teacher, cook, computer operator, laundry machine operator, janitor, facilities manager, van driver, CEO and psychologist. New job titles that made the list in 2006 include psychologist, laundry machine operator, computer operator, and facilities manager. The job title of nurse fell out of the top 10 this year.
Now, moms and their families can visit http://swz.salary.com/momsalarywizard/htmls/mswl_momcenter.html and create their own "Mom paycheck" with the Mom Salary Wizard®, the first interactive tool that allows moms and their families to price the "mom job," based on location and mom's personal hours worked in each of the 10 roles. Users can create a hypothetical mom paycheck and mom pay stub, which can be printed and emailed to family and friends for Mother's Day.
"The true value in raising my daughter is priceless, because even while working full time, I cherish my moments with her," according to Manya Chait, of Lexington, MA."A mother's job is challenging on so many levels and Salary.com should be commended for recognizing the millions of Stay at Home and Working Moms across the country."
"People recognize that both Stay at Home Moms and Working Moms carry a heavy load of responsibility and work long hours," said Bill Coleman, senior vice president of compensation at Salary.com. "It is an eye-opener for many people when they see the real market value of the work moms perform. This year, by adding information about the compensation for Working Moms, we hope to expand the recognition of just how hard all moms are working and of the economic value they bring to society."
"The rewards I have by being there all the time in spite of my own needs are priceless," said Laura Pennington, a Stay at Home mother of three from El Paso, TX. "My children's well-being and education are my priority regardless of the daily marathon I face from sun up to well after sun down. It's the greatest job in the world."
"We don't want to add fuel to the mommy-war fire," said Meredith Hanrahan, senior vice president of Salary.com Interactive. "Both moms struggle with keeping the house clean and moms of both types reported making tremendous sacrifices to make their children happy, healthy, and successful. Stay at Home Moms give up the benefits of working outside the home, including extra income, title, and career advancement. Working Moms give up more sleep, time for exercise, and skip lunch to spend quality time nurturing and educating their children. In the end, both claim it was well worth it."
Other interesting findings from the 2006 Stay-at-Home/Working Mom Study include:
Moms work an average of 90 hours a week
Working Moms reported spending 44 hours per week at their "work job" and 49.8 hours at their "mom job," for a total of 93.8 hours per week. The Stay-at-Home Mom works 91.6 hours at her mom job.
Working Moms get less sleep
Working Moms reported getting only 6.4 hours of sleep per night, versus 6.7 for the Stay-at-Home Moms.
Two extra hours that Working Moms devote to two jobs result in two fewer hours of sleep
Both kinds of moms report that the "lower paying" mom role of housekeeper is their most common role.
Working Moms work 7.2 hours as housekeeper, versus 22.1 for Stay at Home Moms
Taken together, the three lowest paying roles of housekeeper, laundry machine operator, and janitor represent 29 percent of the Working Mom's "mom job," but as much as 38 percent of the Stay-at-Home Mom's job, suggesting that Working Moms need assistance with these tasks.
"My house isn't as clean as I would like and I want to spend more time with my family"
Working Moms and Stay at Home Moms both spend roughly 4 hours per week nurturing the emotional needs of their kids in the "mom job" of psychologist. The big difference appears to be in the "mom job" of day care center teacher, with Stay at Home Moms reporting an average of 15.7 hours per week and Working Moms reporting 7.2 hours per week.
The desire to have time to teach their children prompted write-in responses from Working Moms, who report being more focused and efficient in their day job so they can come home and have more time for their "mom job."
Often these moms skip lunch, come in early, and give up exercise in order to save time to be with their kids for homework and other activities.
According to one Working Mom, "Work is less important and I have less freedom to attend events and work whenever necessary. I have only certain windows in which I can work. I also have become more of a morning person, so that I can work out, go to work and then be home to see the kids or coach a sport."
More detailed information on the Stay-at-Home and Working Mom compensation analysis as well as the Mom Salary Wizard, log onto http://mom.salary.com/.
About Salary.com, Inc. Salary.com is a leading provider of on-demand compensation management solutions helping businesses and individuals manage pay and performance. Salary.com provides companies of all sizes comprehensive on-demand software applications that are tightly integrated with its own proprietary compensation data sets, thereby automating the essential elements of the compensation management process and significantly improving the effectiveness of its client’s compensation spend. For more information, visit www.salary.com.
Contact:Jared Jostp: (781)464-7341press@salary.com
Waltham, MA, May 3rd, 2006 -- Salary.com,Inc., the compensation experts, announced today the 2006 update to their valuation of a Stay at Home Mom's job and for the first time addressed the question of what a Working Mom's job is worth. Salary.com consulted with Stay at Home and Working Moms and determined the top 10 jobs that make up a mom's job description. If paid, Stay at Home Moms would earn $134,121 annually (up from 2005's salary of $131,471). Working Moms would earn $85,876 annually for the "mom job" portion of their work, in addition to their actual "work job" salary.
Salary.com found the job titles that best matched a mom's definition of her work to be (in order of hours spent per week): housekeeper, day care center teacher, cook, computer operator, laundry machine operator, janitor, facilities manager, van driver, CEO and psychologist. New job titles that made the list in 2006 include psychologist, laundry machine operator, computer operator, and facilities manager. The job title of nurse fell out of the top 10 this year.
Now, moms and their families can visit http://swz.salary.com/momsalarywizard/htmls/mswl_momcenter.html and create their own "Mom paycheck" with the Mom Salary Wizard®, the first interactive tool that allows moms and their families to price the "mom job," based on location and mom's personal hours worked in each of the 10 roles. Users can create a hypothetical mom paycheck and mom pay stub, which can be printed and emailed to family and friends for Mother's Day.
"The true value in raising my daughter is priceless, because even while working full time, I cherish my moments with her," according to Manya Chait, of Lexington, MA."A mother's job is challenging on so many levels and Salary.com should be commended for recognizing the millions of Stay at Home and Working Moms across the country."
"People recognize that both Stay at Home Moms and Working Moms carry a heavy load of responsibility and work long hours," said Bill Coleman, senior vice president of compensation at Salary.com. "It is an eye-opener for many people when they see the real market value of the work moms perform. This year, by adding information about the compensation for Working Moms, we hope to expand the recognition of just how hard all moms are working and of the economic value they bring to society."
"The rewards I have by being there all the time in spite of my own needs are priceless," said Laura Pennington, a Stay at Home mother of three from El Paso, TX. "My children's well-being and education are my priority regardless of the daily marathon I face from sun up to well after sun down. It's the greatest job in the world."
"We don't want to add fuel to the mommy-war fire," said Meredith Hanrahan, senior vice president of Salary.com Interactive. "Both moms struggle with keeping the house clean and moms of both types reported making tremendous sacrifices to make their children happy, healthy, and successful. Stay at Home Moms give up the benefits of working outside the home, including extra income, title, and career advancement. Working Moms give up more sleep, time for exercise, and skip lunch to spend quality time nurturing and educating their children. In the end, both claim it was well worth it."
Other interesting findings from the 2006 Stay-at-Home/Working Mom Study include:
Moms work an average of 90 hours a week
Working Moms reported spending 44 hours per week at their "work job" and 49.8 hours at their "mom job," for a total of 93.8 hours per week. The Stay-at-Home Mom works 91.6 hours at her mom job.
Working Moms get less sleep
Working Moms reported getting only 6.4 hours of sleep per night, versus 6.7 for the Stay-at-Home Moms.
Two extra hours that Working Moms devote to two jobs result in two fewer hours of sleep
Both kinds of moms report that the "lower paying" mom role of housekeeper is their most common role.
Working Moms work 7.2 hours as housekeeper, versus 22.1 for Stay at Home Moms
Taken together, the three lowest paying roles of housekeeper, laundry machine operator, and janitor represent 29 percent of the Working Mom's "mom job," but as much as 38 percent of the Stay-at-Home Mom's job, suggesting that Working Moms need assistance with these tasks.
"My house isn't as clean as I would like and I want to spend more time with my family"
Working Moms and Stay at Home Moms both spend roughly 4 hours per week nurturing the emotional needs of their kids in the "mom job" of psychologist. The big difference appears to be in the "mom job" of day care center teacher, with Stay at Home Moms reporting an average of 15.7 hours per week and Working Moms reporting 7.2 hours per week.
The desire to have time to teach their children prompted write-in responses from Working Moms, who report being more focused and efficient in their day job so they can come home and have more time for their "mom job."
Often these moms skip lunch, come in early, and give up exercise in order to save time to be with their kids for homework and other activities.
According to one Working Mom, "Work is less important and I have less freedom to attend events and work whenever necessary. I have only certain windows in which I can work. I also have become more of a morning person, so that I can work out, go to work and then be home to see the kids or coach a sport."
More detailed information on the Stay-at-Home and Working Mom compensation analysis as well as the Mom Salary Wizard, log onto http://mom.salary.com/.
About Salary.com, Inc. Salary.com is a leading provider of on-demand compensation management solutions helping businesses and individuals manage pay and performance. Salary.com provides companies of all sizes comprehensive on-demand software applications that are tightly integrated with its own proprietary compensation data sets, thereby automating the essential elements of the compensation management process and significantly improving the effectiveness of its client’s compensation spend. For more information, visit www.salary.com.
Contact:Jared Jostp: (781)464-7341press@salary.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)